Process and apparatus for centrifugally balling fibrous materials and the like



July 6, 1965 3,192,965

L. B. SMITH PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGALLY BALING FIBROUS MATERIALS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 4, 1962 INVENTOR- Lloyd 5mi7h 3 192 965 rnocnss AND APrAfzATUs FOR CENTRIFUGAL- LY BALING rrnnons MATERIALS AND THE LIKE Lloyd B. Smith, 824 N. 31st St., Birmingham, Ala. Filed Dec. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 242,215 12 Claims. 01. 141-12 This invention relates to the process and apparatus for centrifugal baling of fibrous materials such as cotton, synthetic fibers and the like.

In my prior co-pending applications, Serial No. 33,301,

United States Patent In the centrifugal baling of materials such as lint cot- 7 ton to obtain densities on the order of 20 pounds per cubic foot, I have encountered, under certain conditions, a problem of maintaining the apparatus in balance. Thus, when baling such fibers and without employing the concepts of the present invention, the centrifuge has a tendency toward dynamic unbalance. I have discovered that in such cases the layers of fibers as they are laid on in forming the bale are put in such tension that the layers actually shear, part or cleave, thus throwing more weight on one part of the centrifuge wall than on the others, causing unbalance. When it is understood that the cylin der portion of the centrifuge in question may be on the order of 52 inches in diameter by 20 inches long and that it may be rotated at around 1800 r.p.m., the seriousness of even a small unbalance will be appreciated.

In attempting to solve this problem, I have conceived, and in actual practice have proven,'that one solution is purposefully to cause the layers of fibers to cleave or break at diametrically opposite points ,as the bale is formed. In this way there is no sudden breaking or cleaving of the layers and hence no sudden, unbalancing shifting of the weight. Starting with the very first or outermost fibers delivered to the centrifuge, therefore, I propose to form that layer and subsequent layers into at least two circumferentially extending parts, thus in effect stress relieving by such cleavage what otherwise would eventually becomelayers of highly tensioned bands which eventually upon the'piling on of other layers would part at some random line, shifting circumferentially, and causing unbalance.

Briefly, my invention contemplates a process of baling I invention and which may also'be used for carrying out my improved process is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a centrifuge equipped with my improved cleavage inducing members;

FIG. 2 is a sectional .view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and showing the centrifuge with the bale therein completed, prior to removing the same from the on a shaft 10 mounted in a bearing 11 and power for rotating the apparatus may be supplied through a pulley or the like indicated diagrammatically at 12 from a source of power 12 The centrifuge'propermay embody the outer shell portion 13 and the radial portion 14. In actual practice it will be understood that the shell and radial portions are made separately and preferably are connected together by the pin construction shown, described and claimed in my aforesaid patent application Serial No. 286,849, filed June 10, 1963, Construction for High Gravity Centrifuges and the Like. However, for the purposes of illustrat ing the present invention, I have shown a somewhat conventional centrifuge in order to eliminate details from the drawings and description. A removable door 16 is provided and the door has an opening 17 therethrough. The door may be held in place by means of centrifugal latch :pins 18.

It will further be understood that the fiber to be baled will be placed in a kraftboard or other container. This container may embody three parts, namely, the circumferential or cylindrical shell portion 19, a rear circular head 21 and a front circular head 22. The head 22 has an opening 23 therein corresponding to the opening in the door. Fiber to be baled is delivered in an airborne stream through a conduit 24 the end of which may be moved into the centrifuge and, with the centrifuge rotating the air is expelled either out of the openings 17 and 23 or is drawn out, partly, by means of a nozzle. As shown diagrammatically, the feed tube or conduit 24 may be .re'ciprocated from the inner dotted position indicated to a position just inside the door opening by means of a double acting fluid pressure cylinder 25. I At 25 is a movable baftle which serves to turn the fiber stream toward the periphery of the centrifuge. Suffice it to say that the fiber is delivered, either in an airborne stream or otherwise, into the centrifuge while it is rotating and is'directed toward the inner periphery thereof, thus to form the bale.

Extending axially of the centrifuge, substantially for the full effective length thereof are the cleavage inducing members 26. As shown in the drawings I provide four of these members, preferably, although in some instances two of them will suflice. It will be noted that they are spaced equally, that is, apart or, if only two are used,

apart. a

The members 26 may be mounted in any convenient manner inside the centrifuge. Further, they might even be mounted inside of the circumferential portion 19 of the container. Preferably,'I mount the members 26 by means, A

of studs 27 whichpass through slightly enlarged openings 28 in the radial portion 14 of the centrifuge so that the 1 Patented July 6, 1965 viewed in cross section, there being a drilled and tapped hole 31 in the rear ends of the members to receive the studs 27.

From what has been described it is now possible to explain more fully the operation of my improved apparatus and the steps of carrying out .my improved process.

It will be understood that as the fiber enters the machine the centrifugal force causes the same to accumulate in uniform layers on the inner surface of the circumferential package part 19. If the centrifuge is rotating, say, in the neighborhood of 1800 revolutions per minute, it will further be apparent that there may be no well defined layers as such, since the rate of delivery of the fibers compared to the speed of the surface on which they are deposited will prevent any formation of true, distinct layers in the sense of there being visible divisions, crosssection-wise, between the fibers. However, without the members 26 it will be seen that the introduction of the fiber builds up a band of fiber, at any given instant, which is under terrific tensile pull. It is the shearing or pulling apart of these stressed bands which has heretofore caused the trouble in these centrifuges. With the members 26 in place, as the fibers are delivered into the machine to form the entire bale B, the members 26 induce the formation of actually, in the case shown, four separate sections of the bale as viewed in cross section. That is,

from the very beginning the layers are formed with the definite spiral, generally radially extending cleavage lines 32 indicated in FIG. 2 defining the sections. Therefore, at no time is there any tendency for the fiber to shift in any manner, thus maintaining the centrifuge in balance.

In actual practice upon removing either of the end discs of the package from bales made by my invention the lines indicated at 32 are quite distinctly visible. Upon opening the bale by cutting the circumferential part Ifi (which incidentally may contain metal bands either embedded in the kraftboard or on the outside thereof, not shown), the bale actually falls apart into four separate segments, dividing itself along the lines 32, for the entire length of the bale. In practice, with a 500 pound bale of cotton at a density of approximately 23 pounds per cubic foot, no imbalance was noted in the formation of such bale and upon opening such bales they actually do fall apart precisely as indicated.

I attribute the successful functioning of my invention to the fact that instead of permitting the bale to shear or cleave at random, I purposefully stress relieve such ten- 7 4 the spiral radial lines into sectors of substantially equal mass. It will be understood that any reasonable number of the cleaving inducing members may be used, for in- I stance four of them. At all event-s whatever number is dency by actually forming the bale from the very beginning with the break or part lines 32,'due to the provision of the members 2e or equivalent means. I have baled dozens of bales of different materials such as orlon, nyion, cotton and the like, in a machine of the size herein indicated and in each instance have eliminated all dynamic balance problems and have provided baies which come apart into sections, thus facilitating further processing of the fibers in the opening room of a textile mill. It will be understood that with the apparatus shown the feed tube 24 actually enters the openings 17 and 23 to deliver the fibers to the centrifuge and then when the machine is stopped the hole at the center closes up as indicated in FIG. 2. Hence, the lines 32 do not necessarily come all the way to the geometric center of the bale inasmuch as the cleaving action mentioned stops short thereof,

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have invented an improved process, apparatus and bale of fibers. In actual experimental practice my invention has proven to be extremely satisfactory. When utilized with the pin construction shown in my above identified application Serial No. 286,849, and with the features of the invention described in my above identified application Serial No. 33,301, I have provided a centrifugal baling apparatus which is entirely practical and in which gravities heretofore unheard of in machines of this size are obtainable in the ordinary course of theiroperation. It will be seen that the bale formed'by my invention is divided along used they are spaced equiaangularly around the inside of the centrifuge.

Within the meaning of this disclosure the spiral radial lines of cleavage are contemplated by and included in the expression generally radial lines and similar expressions. While I have disclosed in this application the baling of fibrous materials it may well be that there are other materials which would lend themselves to baling by my improved process and apparatus. However, my experiments to date do not permit me at this time to state precisely what other materials than cotton, orlon, nylon and the like can be successfully baled. Therefore, within the meaning of this disclosure and the appended claims, the term fibrous material is intended to include all materials which in fact are capable of being baled by the use of my invention.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In the centrifugal baling of fibrous materials, the steps of:

(a) delivering the fiber to the inside of a rotating centrifuge, and, i

(b) intentionally inducing the bale as it is being thus formed to cleave along predetermined generally radial lines.

2. The process of baling fibers comprising:

(a) introducing the fibers into a rotating centrifuge,

and

(b) inducing the bale as it is being thus formed to cleave along at least two oppositely disposed, generally radial lines.

' 3. The process of baling fibers comprising:

(a) introducing the fibers into a rotating centrifuge,

(b) as the bale is being built up, inducing the bale to cleave along at least two oppositely disposed, generally radial lines.

4. The process of baling fibers which comprises:

(a) introducing the fibers into a rotating centrifuge and against the inner periphery thereof, and

(b) causing the fibers as the bale builds up to separate into at least two separate parts along radially opposite inwardly directed spiral lines, whereby the centrifuge remains in dynamic balance during the bale forming operation.

5. The process of baling fibers which comprises:

(a) delivering the fibers in a carrier stream of gas to the rotating centrifuge and against the inside pcriphery thereof,

(b) separating the fibers from the gas whereby the fiber is deposited on the periphery of the centrifuge, and

(c) as the bale is being built up, inducing the bale to cleave along at least a pair of diametrically opposite, generally radially extending lines, whereby the centrifuge remainsin dynamic balance during the bale forming operation. 1 k6. In apparatus for centrifugally baling fibers and the l e, V

(a) a centrifuge,

(b) at least a pair of cleavage inducing members mounted inside the centrifuge in position to be engaged by the fiber as it is delivered to the inner periphery of the centrifuge, and

(0) means to deliver the fiber to the inside of the centrifuge.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which the cleav age inducing members project inwardly of the inner periphery of the centrifuge on which the fiber is to be deposited.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which the cleavage inducing members extend substantially the length of the bale to be formed and project inwardly of the peripheral inner surface of the centrifuge on which the fiber is to be deposited.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which the cleavage inducing members are triangular in cross section with their apices lying inwardly of the surface of the centrifuge on which the fiber is to be deposited.

10. In apparatus for 'baling fibrous material,

(a) a centrifuge having a peripheral portion and a radial portion,

(b) means mounting the centrifuge for rotation,

(c) at least a pair of inwardly projecting cleavage inducing members mounted at their ends from the radial portion of the centrifuge and extending substantially the length of the bale to be formed,

(d) means to rotate the centrifuge, and

(e) means to deliver fiber to the inside thereof.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which the cleavage inducing members are triangular as viewed in transverse cross section.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 825,412 7/06 Pawley 233-29 963,955 7/10 Spoon 20683.5 1,218,416 3/17 Krarup 141-12 1,557,881 10/25 Rogers 206-8-3.5 1,761,228 6/30 Peck 141--34 2,359,082 9/44 .Boylan 141-34 2,502,087 3/50 Goldberg 14134 2,680,899 6/54 Sebok et a1 141-73 X 2,867,246 1/59 Busse 14134 2,941,348 6/60 Biche et a1. 577

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN THE CENTRIFUGAL BALING OF FIBROUS MATERIALS, THE STEPS OF: (A) DELIVERING THE FIBER TO THE INSIDE OF A ROTATING CENTRIFUGE, AND, (B) INTENTIONALLY INDUCING THE BALE AS IT IS BEING THUS FORMED TO CLEAVE ALONG PREDETERMINED GENERALLY RADIAL LINES. 